The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-06-30
THE Gyascutis an Loose.
Written for the GOLD LEAF.I

Written Tor the GOLD LLAF.1
What would have become Of the
Grand Army of the Republic if it did
not have a chance now and then to
fling It's vitupcrativc sarcasm and tiaunt
its boosted superiority in the faces OF
Southern men? When would tie
present existing enmity between the
North and South end within 4 pho
nominally contracted period were 1t
not for the great and glorious clique
of tyrannicaI, overbcaring bl8ots,
styled, en- masSe, "The Grand Army
of the Republic ?" The yawnn8
.chasm Of sectional hate would be for
ever closed, and brotherly feeling
would reign supreme. But with such
"a CALLING iron to open afresh every
wound, to cause the continued flow OF
the life blood of Southern love, how
can this sectional bitterness be over
come? Never: for Nature will not
allow it; at least, such is my view OF
the matter | am not authorized to
speak for the entire South, but | can
oemphatically say that an authorized
to speak for myself, TO send to the
outside world my convictions and
honest feelings. This | have always
done and shall continue to do. Heaven
forbid that the time shall ever come
when | or anyone else shall be denied
the American privilege of free speech
Within the past two years numerous
treacherous thrusts have been made by
the Grand Army of the Republic, its
Officers, its organs and its Cowardly
minions, at the South, its generosity
and its people. One of the most i'm
portant of these was the great ''loyal'
hubbub raised over the eloquent and
inofensiye Grafton of Hon. Jefferson
Davis, beloved OF the South for his
many noble actions, his principle, and
his martyrdom on the cross of North
ern prejudice. As editor of the To-
peka, Kansas, Lantern, | defended our
old hero in a mild and lnol1ensiye
manner. Within tWenty-tOur hours
after the issuance of the Lantern con-
tanning the mentioned defense | be
held published in the morning dailies
a set Of "ReSolutiOn5 of Condemna-
ton, calculated to assist in closing
the breach of fellowship between the
North and South, | suppose. The
complaint made against the Lantern
inl
and communicated articles which are
reasonable in their character, < x <
we object to the reasonable utter
ances of the chief of traitors mean
ing Mr.. Davis-'.and we denoUnCe in
unmeasured terms the plaudits Of such
utterances by the paper above referred
to-
"Treason" is the Grand Army harp
with Grand Army strings of malice,
spite, meanness, bigotry, selishness,
untruth, prejudice, Covetousness, ras-
cality and kindred accomplishments.
When the Grand Army wishes to raise
4 disturbance, the "Treason" harp
with It's characteristic strings is heard
abroad in our land. Even now, when
the president asSents to the return of
the captured battle flags of the South.
the Treason harp's echo rolls and
reverbcrates to the uttermost corners of
the Union. In itself, the refusal to
return the flags is small matter, vet
from every '.loyal" stronghold were
flung threlts and insults into Southern
faces, and once again the wounds in
the Southern hearts were re-opened.
Department Commander Taintoo.
of Hartford, Conn, in an address at
New Haven said:
81 believe the Grand Army has a
proprietary right in those flags, pur-
chased with blood. If the President of
the United States consents to their re-
moval, he will receive warming from
the Grand Army throughout the L. S.
he will not dare over-ride!'
Such a threat from the lips of a
DAVIS or a Toombs would cause the
entire Republican pack to howl
7"1reaSon! Treason!" But what can
the South say? Resentment means
treason ,
Commander-in in chief LuCius Fair
child, of Wisconsin, was another
speaker at this great New Haven pow
WOW. In his address he said:
"What would Missouri, Maryland,
Mississippi, South Carolina and other
States do with the flags If they had
them? Would the Governors of those
States place them in their State capt.
tolls to be revered and teach the COM
ing generation treason ?"
in Nix. Fairchild's eye "to revere"